I heard someone say recently the rapture is the greatest lie in the church today. Now, I have never been great at eschatology – but that stuck in my spirit and I needed to look into it more.
Like usual when I do my own fact checking on standard church beliefs, I see the idea of rapture differently than most people do. And, if you are a proponent of 70 AD being the return … sorry, this won’t be your bag. As I’ve posted before, the fall of the temple (70 AD) and the end of the age (in the future) are 2 separate events (per Jewish culture).
In short, I believe the “rapture” (believers rising in the air and meeting Jesus in the clouds) and the last day where all SEE Him return in power and glory - are 2 separate parts of the SAME event on one day.
Remember, Lazarus died and was in a tomb for 4 days. Martha freaks out and tells Jesus, “I know that he (Lazarus) will rise again in the resurrection on the LAST day (John 11:24).”
But, how is that even possible within the context of the “rapture” proof text of 1 Thess 4:13-18 which says that on the day of the “rapture” the dead will rise up FIRST and then the living believers will rise to meet Jesus in the air? Lazarus should be in that group rising first in the raptured group… yes, separate to and BEFORE the last day (second coming).
In regards to ALL believers (both dead and living) Jesus says, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day (John 6:39).” Again, how is that possible in a purported rapture scenario of believers departing SEPARATELY and BEFORE the last day (second coming)?
When I started looking more into rapture doctrine I heard in my spirit, “follow the trumpets.” So, I did.
Both the “rapture” text of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 AND “tribulation” or second coming text of Matthew 24:29-31 … mention a LOUD trumpet sounded by angels. Remember, the last day isn’t the last day of time on the earth … rather the last day is the second coming of Christ as part of a sequence of great judgments upon the earth.
So, if we want to follow the trumpets, where else can we find out about the trumpets being sounded during this time of judgment?
Revelation chapters 8-11 spell out the 7 trumpet blasts. Blast number 4 is where I am parked.
Revelation 8:12 (ESV)
“The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.”
This has to be the trumpet blast of both the “rapture” and of the tribulation/second coming text in Matthew 24.
Why?
The text in Matthew 24:29 says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days (yes, those trumpets of 1-3) the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
Additionally, The Prophet Joel states (2:31), "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood BEFORE the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."
So. When the celestials are shaken … that trumpet call is ours!
Furthermore. Both events from 1 Thess 4 (rapture) and Matthew 24 (second coming) mention the gathering of the elect and The Lord descending on clouds from heaven. Folks. Jesus doesn’t come to gather His own elect twice!
This is SHARED trumpet #4! Yes, MID TRIBULATION.
Simply put. Paul (1 Thess 4) and Matthew (as copied from Mark) have different parts of the same event!
BTW: as a fun side note, the number 4 in Hebrew means DOOR!
Trumpets 5-7 occur without pre “last day” believers in the earth. Final judgment upon the dead comes at trumpet #7 in Revelation 11:15-19.
- Yes, the church WILL rise in the air to meet Jesus.
- Yes, there will be judgment upon this earth.
- Yes, judgment will rage on long after the “church” has been removed.
- Yes, ALL the earth will physically see the return of Christ.
But, the church rising to meet Jesus in the air and the nations SEEING Jesus like one sees lightning shining from the east to the west ... will be the same day, as part of the same event of His second coming, and as part of God's sequence of judgment.